


A Matter of Trust

by ODeorainFan2150



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Victorian, Domestic, F/M, Romantic Fluff, Spiders, There are lots of spider talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 18:23:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16068737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ODeorainFan2150/pseuds/ODeorainFan2150
Summary: Gérard finds himself in a peculiar situation.---Reading "The Wondrous Visions of Lacroix’s Fair" is not required but will help to set the scene.





	A Matter of Trust

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Wondrous Visions of Lacroix’s Fair](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15878340) by [ODeorainFan2150](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ODeorainFan2150/pseuds/ODeorainFan2150). 



> It happened again

Gérard started to ponder what decisions in his life had led to this situation.

The fair had been his life since he’d been born. He’d taken over when he was old enough, just like his father before him, guiding the caravans across Europe. He’d assembled a true mix of skilled performers and artists from around the world. He’d assembled a show to impress and delight the yokels and dregs in the various towns and cities they stopped at.

He’d met his wife, the dancer with that raven black hair and those bewitching eyes that had lured him in one evening in Paris. They had danced the night away, going throughout, wandering along the Seine as the sun began to rise. At dawn, he’d invited her to join the fair, to come to see the world with him and so she bought her collection of little friends with her as part of her act

Still, none of this actions and choice quite explained why he was lying on his back on the bed in the expansive tent they shared, dimly lit by the gas lamps, dressed only in his vest and trousers and with a tarantula exploring his face. He twitched his nose slightly as it crept forward, it's furry leg gently touching his pencil thin moustache.

“Stop moving love, or we shall have to start again.”

Amélie re-entered his view, still in her black performing dress, it’s form fitting closely to her dancer’s body. That raven black hair was still pulled up in a tight ponytail giving her the imperious look that helped to sell Mistress Widow to the adoring (and often terrified) crowds. Cold and calculating, just like her pets.

Gérard would have turned his head to follow her but if twitching wasn’t allowed, that would have been a definite no-no. As much as he loved the effects of revealing the spider on his face to the crowd, their cries of shock and delight mixing together, the preparation was not something he liked repeating.

Amélie seemed to sense his thoughts “She’s just getting used to you. Exploring the contours, scanning the ground. Learning to trust.”

At the sound of her voice, Gérard could feel the spider move ever so slightly, lifting a leg to sense the air as if it recognised her. He couldn’t see her but based on the sound of her opening and closing cages in the background, she was probably returning tonight’s performers to their homes. Eventually, a chair appeared next to the bed and Amélie sat on it, taking care to move quietly. Watching the creature still resting on his face, she lowered her head onto his chest and closed her eyes.

Her voice sounded like silk, smooth as she spoke to him.“Your heart is racing, _mon amour_. I can hear it in your chest like a drum. Bom-Bom, bom-bom”

Shifting slightly, she brought her face closer to his. She whispered.

“The real question, is that because of me, or the spider?”

For a while, she simply stood there, her eyes staring into his. Gérard could still feel the presence of something on his face but it felt far away. He was lost in her eyes, just as he had first been all those years ago. The portals of brown with flecks of gold seemed deep, like an endless pool. It was as if he was falling.

Very carefully, she lifted the spider off his face before placing it gently on her palm. As she always did when handling her pets, she brought her hands close to her mouth and whispered something to it. Slowly, smoothly, she walked back to the cages to return the arachnid to its nest.

The pressure on his face removed, Gérard tilted his head and followed her walk with his eyes. The backless dress revealed the spider tattoo, stretching from her neck down to just above her shapely rear. It was an expanse of black ink and pale skin, small red details picking out the pattern on the creature’s back. He had remembered being there as it was done, holding her hand as the artist got to work on the most perfect canvas Gérard had ever seen. When she’d finally seen it finished, she had starred at it in the mirror, entranced by it. She had always said it was just part of the act but he knew the truth - this was something she’d always wanted.

As she placed the spider back in its cage, Gérard spoke a question he’d wondered for years. “What do you whisper to them?” he asked.

She looked around, her hands still closing the cage “Hmm?”

“The spiders. You always say something to them after you take them back from me and I’ve never asked you what you say”

Amélie smiled. “Just a little something I used to say as a little girl whenever I saw them. _Je n'ai pas peur, tu n'as pas peur_ ”

She breathed out a sigh as she undid her ponytail, rolling her neck to let her hair slowly roll out into a cascade of black. Joining him on the bed, she pulled his arm around her. He pulled her closer before laying back, enjoying the comfort the other provided.

Amelie enjoyed the moment before finishing her thoughts “I used to hate them. Terrified of the twitching legs and beady eyes. But then you study them, you watch them and they become something beautiful. Once you trust them, they are perfect creatures.”

Gérard turned and kissed her on the cheek. His touch brought a small smile to her face and she moved in closer to him, her head having returned to his chest again. They retreated to the silence, enjoying this break at the end of the day. The night was mostly still, occasionally broken by the sound of festivities outside as the rest of the fair enjoyed a few beverages before turning in. The performers needed their way of relaxing after all.

Amélie looked up at Gérard “Did you see Moira at closing tonight?”

“A little more out of it than usual” Gérard nodded before whispering conspiratorily, “Our little gossip hound said she’d run into someone outside the Mystic’s tent and then spent most of her show performing directly to her. Including the old “roses from inside her sleeve” trick”

Amélie grinned, “Ah, she found herself an adoring fan. Maybe it will mellow her out a bit, reduce the mischief she likes to make when she’s bored.”

“Or it will make it worse because she’s happy“ Gérard raised an eyebrow “Speaking of a fan, I saw you gained one tonight. The excitable girl with brown hair and freckles. Left the entrance when you did and followed you like a lost lamb back to your show”

She laughed softly “Oh, that one. She was nice, very pretty, wants to come back tomorrow and spend more time with them. First time I’ve met a punter more interested in the spiders than staring.“

Gérard smiled at this “Or she’s just better at hiding it. You didn’t see her eyes when you went to collect one of your pets from the floor.”

Amélie chuckled “Outfoxed by a local? Oh, she must be good. Maybe you should meet her, we could always do with someone quick-witted around here”

He leaned in close to her “And this is nothing to do with the fact you like her?”

Amélie was silent, one hand absentmindedly playing with her hair. But Gérard could see how her brain was working.

“Oh my precious Amélie, “ he whispered “You’re going to be the death of me one of these days”

**Author's Note:**

> I really couldn't help but this idea popped up. The Wondrous Visions of Lacroix’s Fair was written as a way of invoking multiple AUs - I wasn't expecting the first story to be around Mr Lacroix and Mistress Widow.
> 
> "Je n'ai pas peur, tu n'as pas peur" = I'm not afraid, you're not afraid
> 
> If you like this work, I love hearing your comments - I'll always try and respond! Alternatively, drop me an email at odeorainfan2150@gmail.com
> 
> Follow me on twitter at https://twitter.com/deorainfan2150 for news on what I'm working on next.
> 
> If you want to throw me a tip, you can find my Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/odeorainfan2150.


End file.
